


Longer Hair

by Milque



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Coming Out, F/M, Kissing, Lazy Mornings, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Girl Taichi, taichi has some doubts and banri is there to support her, the coming out is only mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26396530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milque/pseuds/Milque
Summary: ++++“And you know if anyone has a problem with that,” his voice lowered as he approached closer, to the point she could feel the warmth radiating off his skin, still heated from sleeping. The grip of his hand that remained on her waist tightened too. “I’ll beat them up so badly they’ll have another thing to worry about.”“Banchan.” She moved to hug Banri, letting herself drown in this all-too-familiar heat. She smiled against his chest when she felt his arms embrace her as well, his hand rubbing her back in small circles. “Please, don’t hurt anyone.”++++A lazy weekday morning featuring trans girl Taichi and her loving boyfriend.
Relationships: Autumn Troupe & Nanao Taichi, Nanao Taichi/Settsu Banri
Comments: 5
Kudos: 54





	Longer Hair

Taichi stared back at the vibrant blue eyes looking at her from the mirror, dark circles way too visible in comparison to her fair skin. The fall came early this year, it had been difficult to catch any rays of sunshine lately, and with winter just around the corner, she knew her complexion was just going to get paler and paler. She didn’t really mind though. What she did mind was that her bangs were starting to get too long, already being a bother and obscuring her vision. She also spotted dark roots starting to be more apparent, black hair peaking around an inch from her head. She’d need to redye it, and she grimaced at the thought of it alone. She’s always hated the sensation of dying hair, the burning feeling (especially when bleaching it) way too overwhelming for her sensitive skin. 

She sighed deeply, and looked down to the sink to grab her toothbrush. It was red, her favorite color. She stopped with the toothbrush halfway to her mouth though, pausing to look at her hand. She didn’t want to think about it, really, she knew it was silly, but she’d always been insecure about them. Even as a kid, when she had no idea she was a girl. At the time, she hated how small and seemingly delicate her hands were. It made her feel too feminine. And now it was the exact opposite. Her fingertips were calloused, just like the skin around her nails, the effect of excessive biting (she couldn’t help it though!). And her fingers were boney too. She hated how there was nothing she could do to change that, no matter what, her hands were neither masculine or feminine enough. Omi has told her it was a good thing though, because an androgynous trait like this would let her pass as whoever she wanted to present as. Taichi still had second thoughts about it though.

She squeaked in surprise when she felt hands being placed on her waist, which forcefully pulled her out from her train of thoughts. She relaxed when she realized who it was though, hearing a familiar voice hum close to her ear. She looked up in the mirror to see the person behind her, only really seeing his messy mop of dark blonde hair as he rested his head on her shoulder, his arms slithering over to hug her midriff and pull her closer. He was visibly slumping, courtesy of their height difference, and Taichi felt _ just a little _ bad about it.

“M’rnin’,” Banri mumbled against her shoulder, and she tried her best not to shiver at the sensation of his warm breath. She still tensed up though.

“You’re up early,” she said with a smile, keeping her voice down. She put the toothbrush, which was still in her hand, down, leaving it there for later. She had time after all. She wiggled out of her boyfriend’s embrace, receiving a small groan from him in return, to turn around and face him properly. She cupped his cheek, prompting him to look up. Taichi noted the bags under his eyes and just how much paler he looked than he had yesterday, when they had parted for the night.

“Bastard Hyodo woke me up. Couldn’t fall back asleep.” His hands went back to her waist, as if they were a perfect fit. Taichi had noticed that before; whenever they’re alone, just the two of them, Banri would have a hard time keeping his hands to himself. When she called him “touchy” or “cuddly” though, he would angrily deny it and get embarrassed. Taichi thought it was very cute, but she knew telling him that would only get him to be even more defensive.

“You’re in the afternoon group today, right? You should try and rest some more.” She caressed his cheek, smiling a little more at how Banri nuzzled into her hand at that.

“Can’t. Come sleep with me.”

“Not happening. I have morning classes.”

“Ditch them.”

“I can’t do that! Director wouldn’t let me hear the end of i-!” She froze as Banri’s hand shot up to fiddle with the hair strands resting on her cheek. He hummed in reflection.

“Your hair’s getting long.”

“... Ah. I guess it is, huh?” She laughed under her breath, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. “It’s fine though, you can’t even tell with wax.”

“Are you gonna cut it?”

“... I, uh.” She looked away, the smile wavering for just a second. “I probably should.”

“... I think you look good like this though.” Taichi noted how Banri’s voice got just  _ a tiny bit  _ higher as he said it, and it made her chest feel tight.

“But-”

“And you know if anyone has a problem with that,” his voice lowered as he approached closer, to the point she could feel the warmth radiating off his skin, still heated from sleeping. The grip of his hand that remained on her waist tightened too. “I’ll beat them up so badly they’ll have another thing to worry about.”

“Banchan.” She moved to hug Banri, letting herself drown in this all-too-familiar heat. She smiled against his chest when she felt his arms embrace her as well, his hand rubbing her back in small circles. “Please, don’t hurt anyone.”

“No promises.” There was a hint of playfulness to his words, so she didn’t think much of it. “This isn’t about hair though, is it? You know, you don’t have to come out even if you grow your hair out.”

She frowned. She was aware that with the way her life was, it would be inevitable to come out again. To the rest of Mankai Company, to her family at home, to her classmates, future colleagues, random strangers... She knew she was bound to keep exposing herself to people, because that’s the kind of society she lived in. And the thought alone was enough to give her a stomachache.

She didn’t want to go through the same stress as when she came out to the Autumn Troupe again. She still remembers how scared she was. Of rejection, of disgust, of abandonment. And yet none of them came. But as she told them those three simple words - _I’m a girl_ \- all she got was love and support; Banri’s hand squeezing gently on her own trembling one, Omi’s arms embracing her as if she was made of glass, Juza’s grip on her shoulder as she shook with each sob escaping her, Sakyo’s exasperated sigh that was soon followed by a warm smile, telling her she really was worried for nothing, Azami telling her he had already suspected that much. All of them, in their own ways, told her, showed her that day just how much they love her and that they would support her no matter what. The memory of that made her tear up a little bit, so she hid her face further into her boyfriend's chest, nuzzling it, hoping Banri was still too sleepy to notice the reason.

  
  


“I guess I’d feel pressured to though. They’d want an explanation,” she continued.

“You can lie for now and say you’re just trying new things out. It’s more common for guys to have longer hair lately. Even at the dorms. There’s Azuma. Azami’s hair is getting long too.”

“Hmm…” She thought about Azuma for a second. It really would be nice to have hair as long and pretty as him. She knew it was impossible though, with how much she abuses her hair with bleach almost monthly. “Maybe I’ll leave it as it is for just a little longer then. Could always say I had no time to cut it these days.”

“Alright.” He pressed a small kiss to the top of her head. “In any case, I’ve got your back.”

“Thanks, Banchan.” She pulled away reluctantly, not yet wanting to part with her boyfriend’s warmth. Banri cupped her cheek and leaned in closer, but Taichi brought her hand up and covered his mouth before their lips could meet. “Morning breath,” she said.

The dirty blonde let out an annoyed noise of complaint, but still planted a kiss on the palm of her hand, making her face burn up.

“Gross.” The voice startled both of them, coming from the entrance. Taichi relaxed a little, seeing it was Azami. In a way, it was good as well as bad. Good because it was Azami, they were pretty close together and she felt comfortable around him. Bad because _it was Azami_. Azami is always Azami. “Get a room. This is a shared bathroom, I don’t want to see this.”

“Then close your eyes,” Banri answered, but actually pulled away from Taichi, reaching behind her to turn the tap on. She moved out of the way, and her boyfriend washed his face. She looked at the water droplets beading down his arms, to Banri’s later annoyance, wetting his sleeves’ cuffs. She smiled.

Thinking about how they got together made her feel warm. There were no confessions; no ' _I like you_ 's or love letters. Just the two of them, in Taichi’s room, sitting over her notebooks, reviewing material before entrance exams. She remembers that Tsumugi was especially busy with his tutoring work at the time, and not wanting to bother him, she asked her dear genius troupe leader for help. One thing led to another. Banri’s fingers brushing against her hand just once too many. His eyes lingering on her for just a little too long. His face just a little too close as he leaned over to see the notes better. Before Taichi even realized, Banri had already taken her first kiss. And second. And _tenth_. Actually, scratch that. Before Taichi even realized, Banri and her were making out on the cold floor of her and Omi’s room. Desperate, clumsy on her part, and just a little too heated on Banri’s part. It felt messy. And embarrassing. Especially when the door opened and her eyes met Omi’s surprised face, who mumbled a quick “excuse me” before closing the door again. Taichi, of course, ran out after him to explain herself. She’s had her fair share of embarrassing moments in life, and her conversation with Omi sure still made it to the top 10.

She remembers talking to Banri the same night. Both were awkward, and the silences between them lasted enough to make Taichi uncomfortable out of her mind. She asked him about what that little stunt made them, but Banri only said it didn’t matter. She was frustrated at the time, because she wasn’t like Banri, she didn’t just make out with anyone if she felt like it. The only reason she was okay with it in the first place was because she had been crushing on him for the longest time! Yes, she was frustrated at the time, but in hindsight, she realized Banri was probably trying not to put any pressure on her. That frustration was what made her confess. He didn’t tell her he liked her back, but Taichi didn’t overthink that, and they became a couple. They tried to keep it a secret at first, but it quickly proved impossible with this many people living in the dorms. Everyone seemed to accept, or at least tolerate them, so it made her really happy.  


When they first started dating, she didn’t know she was a girl yet. That’s why when she came out to the Autumn Troupe, she was the most worried for Banri’s response. But the night she told them who she was, when her boyfriend dragged her to the garden to properly talk about it, about them, that was the first time Banri had told her he loved her. He told her he’d fallen in love with her as a person, not as the boy Taichi. And he was going to continue loving the girl Taichi just as much, if not more. As much as she wanted to cry at the time, she didn’t. She knew how difficult it was for Banri to talk about his feelings; she saw his hands shaking and fidgeting, and his foot tapping on the grassy ground, and the sweat starting to bead on his forehead. So she hugged him, and held tight. She didn’t want to let go and he didn’t seem to want that either. They stayed like this for hours, until the cold of the night chilled her enough for her arms to start trembling.

  
  


It’s been a while since she realized, but she still couldn’t bring herself to come out of the closet. Even though she had the Autumn Troupe’s support. The furthest she’d been able to push herself was going out in public with her nails painted. And even then she almost had a panic attack after the clerk lady complimented her on her nail polish color choice (coral red, Azami told her it suited her), and had to call Omi on the phone to ground herself. She couldn’t find enough strength to present the way she wanted to. She wasn’t like Yuki. She wasn’t strong or confident, she couldn’t pretend she didn’t care for the strangers’ opinions. She was scared. But… Unless she pushed herself, she couldn’t improve, right? She inspected herself once more in the mirror. It really wasn’t that much of a difference with how little her hair had grown at that point, she had nothing to worry about just yet. So maybe, just maybe…

For the first time in years, Taichi chose not to style her hair with wax that morning. She couldn’t express just how relieved she felt when nobody mentioned it during breakfast. And she couldn’t express just how happy and safe she felt when Banri kissed her goodbye by the door when she left for the day.

“Take care of yourself,” he mumbled against her lips.

“I will.”

**Author's Note:**

>  **Thank you for reading!!**
> 
> I've been thinking of nothing but trans girl Taichi for the past few days and so I _finally_ had to write something with her!
> 
> I left her name as Taichi, even though names ending with -ichi tend to be masculine, but I think she would think more of changing her name later, after she comes out to the rest of Mankai Company. I have a couple ideas on what name she could choose (among my favorites would be Rei (reference to Zero, she would probably write it as れい or as 麗 (beauty) though, because 零 (zero) tends to be a masculine name) or Kazue (the "kazu" part being the reference to the "ichi" part in Taichi, both of them are 一)) but I wonder if y'all also have any ideas :D
> 
> **Kudos and comments are GREATLY appreciated!!**


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